Abdullah Gul

Free Syrian Army soldiers on the Turkish side of the Oncupinar crossing into Syria (Getty)

What to do when the nightmare next door shows no sign of coming to an end? That is the dilemma facing Turkey, perhaps one of the countries most troubled by the brutal civil war raging in Syria, with which it shares a 900km long border.

The AKP (Justice and Development party) and its charismatic leader, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, have dominated Turkish politics since 2002. Since then, the country’s economy has tripled in size and Turkey has become an ever more influential player in global diplomacy. And yet, as the continuing protests show, many Turks are deeply unhappy with Erdogan and what his critics charge is an increasingly autocratic style of government.

What is it about Erdogan and his government that so polarises opinion in Turkey?

Here are the some of the best reads of recent years on Erdogan and the changing dynamics of his government:Read more

The World

with Gideon Rachman

Gideon became chief foreign affairs columnist for the Financial Times in July 2006. He joined the FT after a 15-year career at The Economist, which included spells as a foreign correspondent in Brussels, Washington and Bangkok. He also edited The Economist’s business and Asia sections.

His particular interests include American foreign policy, the European Union and globalisation